


Voice of the Mountain

by Narina



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Felix is a mountain guide, Getting Together, Hubert needs a vacation, M/M, Mountains, Slightly implied sexual content, just a littlebit though, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21978952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Narina/pseuds/Narina
Summary: After almost messing up at his job, Edelgard forces Hubert to take a vacation. It goes better than anyone expected.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23
Collections: Fire Emblem Rare Pair Christmas Exchange 2019





	Voice of the Mountain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Vault_Emblem](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vault_Emblem/gifts).



> My rarepair christmas gift for Vault_Emblem. I had no idea what to write and then it turned into almost 5k. I hope you like it, I actually had fun with this and might write more for this pairing. Maybe even for this universe.  
> Not entirely sure if it's really in character, I tried but I don't always succeed. Also, I wrote most of this during the night and it's not beta'd
> 
> Title is from Don Airey's album about the K2, I can't find a link for this particular song only, though.

When Edelgard told him to go on a holiday, he thought she was joking. Hubert scoffed at the suggestion and was about to turn and head back to work when she gripped his wrist and glared at him. 

“I didn’t _ask_ , Hubert, I am ordering you to take a break. We can’t afford any more slip-ups.” 

Right. He had not been as careful as necessary, had almost made a grave mistake. But everything had worked out and he had even gotten some rest after the whole ordeal, he was perfectly able to continue. Edelgard didn’t seem to think so. 

“And what do you have in mind? Make me go to a spa to do nothing all day?” 

“That would be too easy.” She released her grip and grinned. “I have asked Petra and Dorothea to arrange everything. Your flight leaves at five this afternoon, your things are already packed. Don’t miss it, I will know.” 

This had to be a bad joke. He looked at her, trying to find a sign of humour in her eyes but there was none. She was serious about this and she had thought of everything. There was no way out – at least not now. Maybe the place they were sending him to would provide him with solutions. 

“Fine,” Hubert sighed, not bothering to hide how much he hated it. Not working for several days sounded like a real nightmare. 

There really was nothing for him to do. His bags were packed, his plane ticket ready and a driver waiting. They really wanted to make sure he didn’t escape this _vacation_. Very well. At least he had remembered to bring some documents to go over during the flight. It was a short flight, though –bad for his workload but good because it meant he wasn’t being sent to some tropical paradise. 

The person to greet him at the gates was Caspar, sporting a wide grin and a Chauffeur’s uniform. He should have expected a familiar face, Hubert thought. Maybe he really needed a bit of rest – but surely not days of it. 

“Welcome to Austria!” Caspar grinned widely and gestured for him to follow. Hubert contemplated running away but by then. Caspar had already grabbed his bag – the one with the papers – and he cursed quietly as he walked out of the building. 

Soon enough, they were on their way and no matter how he pressed, Caspar refused to tell him where they were going. With nothing else to occupy himself with –all the bags were in the trunk – he stared out of the window, at farms and settlements, waterfalls and forests. It was beautiful to look at but he already missed the city and its anonymity. 

“Here we are!” 

Caspar’s joyful attitude had not changed over the course of the past hour. The last minutes had been on narrows roads, winding up into a valley that didn’t seem to have many other exits. Great. He accepted his bags, grumbled something that probably counted as a good-bye and then Caspar was off, leaving him alone. The place was no hotel, just a small guesthouse. But it looked clean and still had a few flowers out despite it being mid-October. 

A woman in her fifties greeted him with a friendly smile when he stepped into the lobby that was more of a regular hallway and opened into a comfortable looking dining room. Everything was a little too cluttered, Hubert thought, preferring clean and plain spaces himself. 

“Von Vestra, yes. The room has been paid in advance, she said, leading him up the stairs to what was a small apartment rather than a room. It had its own kitchen and living area and a balcony that probably wouldn’t see much use at this time of the year. 

“Thank you.” It wasn’t this woman’s fault he was here. He might as well be polite. 

“It’s no problem. Breakfast is served downstairs and we have a lot of excellent restaurants in the area where you can take dinner,” she explained, handing him the key. “I hope you enjoy the next two weeks.” 

Hubert needed a moment to process that. Restaurants, okay. Breakfast, he supposed he shouldn’t skip that here. And … wait. Two weeks? Two whole weeks away from work? He paled, wanting to call after her and ask her to check again but she was already gone and he could only stare at the walls. 

Faint steps pulled him back to reality and he quickly closed the door, setting his bags down and rummaging through them for his cell phone. The signal was terrible, barely enough to receive Edelgard’s message. 

**Edelgard von Hresvelg 17:28**

_Please enjoy your stay, it will do you some good. Let me know when you’re there._

**You 19:05**

_I have arrived._

He thought about replying with something else but at the moment, he didn’t want to talk to her too much. She had tricked him into this situation and into a village without even a train station. He had no car, no chance of getting away. For today, he resigned to his fate and set out to find a place to eat. His phone buzzed, indicating another message. He was tempted to ignore it but that would be childish behaviour and so he checked as he walked. 

**Edelgard von Hresvelg 19:07**

_Pleased to hear that. Your guide will pick you up tomorrow._

A guide, then. It made sense that they wouldn’t let him walk around unsupervised – and maybe a guide could provide some distraction from the boredom he was expecting at the moment. He wondered what kind of person they were to get Edelgard to approve of them. 

~ 

Breakfast was a lot better than he had feared, with a few other people – mostly families and couples – chatting about their days and plans. He was surprised how much some of them could eat. Hubert himself was done after a few minutes and waited impatiently for his guide to show up. Edelgard had not given him a time and he hated not living by a schedule. When he finally met the man, he was on the edge of his chair and nursing his fourth cup of coffee. 

“I can see why you need a vacation,” were the first words he words he heard from his guide. Hubert raised an eyebrow and decided not to start an argument. It would only cause unnecessary trouble for himself and Edelgard. 

“That’s why I’m here,” he said instead, downing the rest of his coffee before standing up to reach out his hand. 

There was a hint of laughter. “Heh, fine. I’m Felix.” 

“Hubert.” Their handshake was firm, not too much and not too little. He should’ve trusted Edelgard to find a guide he would more or less get along with. “I suppose you have all the plans they refuse to tell me?” 

“They provided me with a challenging schedule,” Felix explained as he led him out of the house. There was a Jeep parked on the street and he made a mental note to keep that in mind as an option for an early escape. “We may take some liberties. Start easy, you look like you came straight from the office and I hate having to carry someone up a mountain.” 

“That’s a fair point.” A slow start would also mean that he could get used to the hiking boots he had been provided with. They didn’t look brand-new, so maybe they would do their job without ruining his feet. 

He used the car ride to get a closer look at his guide. Long dark hair put up in a ponytail, a stern expression, missing two fingers on his right hand. Now that was interesting. Two weeks should be enough to find out the backstory. 

They stopped at a small parking lot though the path they took from there on was wide enough for a car to pass. Probably for the locals who spent at least the summer months in the more remote huts of the area. The river to their right and the colours of autumn were almost enough to take his mind off the work that was piling up on his desk. Almost, but he still wondered how much he would have to do upon his return. Maybe he could go over a few documents when he was back in his room. 

Too soon, he realized the flaw in that plan. Hiking was exhausting – he wasn’t used to walking around so much, to these open spaces and the fresh air. Usually, he kept close to Edelgard and they didn’t walk to important meetings or dinners. By the time they reached the turning point, a mountain hut that was closed at this time of the year, his feet hurt and his heart beat a little faster. 

Felix glared at him with an unreadable expression before gesturing to the wooden benches that were scattered here. Hubert wasn’t willing to show any signs of weakness – he was a trained bodyguard, a hike shouldn’t be any trouble – and so he took a deep breath and sat down with his usual poise. 

“Here.” 

With a small nod, he accepted the water bottle Felix handed him. The other man didn’t seem bothered but then again, he was probably used to a lot more and this felt like a walk in the park to him. 

“So, how often do you lead office workers through the mountains?” 

Felix shrugged. “It happens. Most complain more than you do, though.” 

He raised an eyebrow, carefully sipping the water. “Did I complain?” 

“Not with words.” Felix reached into his bag as he sat down as well, stretching his legs. “Hungry?” 

It had been a few hours since breakfast and the sun was high in the sky by now. If not for the relatively cold temperatures and the falling leaves, it could’ve been another summer day. Hubert gladly took the sandwiches Felix was offering him. 

Few other people were around, a family greeted them as they walked by and disappeared into the woods, following a narrow trail that already looked more challenging than the road they had walked so far. “Where does that go?” 

“A few alps and then deeper into the mountains. Why, you wanna go there?” 

“Maybe not today.” That wasn’t a total defeat, right? They were starting slowly, there was no need to rush and screw up this holiday by being overeager to prove himself on the very first day. 

Most of the first week went on like this. Hubert surprised himself by how much breakfast he ate when he actually did more than sit around in an office and accompany Edelgard to her duties. He even gave up asking for documents after Linhardt yelled at him in a voice message – he hadn’t even known his friend could get that angry. At the moment, five days after first arriving, Felix had dragged him to what he called his favourite restaurant. It was nice, though all the taxidermied animals were a little unsettling. He felt like they could come to life at any moment. 

“Still angry at your boss for sending you here?” 

“I still don’t think it was necessary,” he said, turning to the glass of wine a waiter just brought him. “But it is not as unpleasant as I had initially thought.” He still wanted to get home and Felix’ Jeep was still his best shot. Maybe he shouldn’t drink too much, mountain streets were not what he was used to. 

“Just wait.” The smile on Felix’ face was dangerous and a little smug. “People tend to fall in love with the area just when they’re about to leave.” 

Hubert raised an eyebrow. ”I doubt that.” 

Dinner itself turned out to be pleasant, the perfect food after long days. It was almost good enough to keep him around for a few more days but when Felix went to the toilet after they paid their bills, he quickly slipped out to use his chance. It was dark but he didn’t need to see much. High mountains drew sharp forms against a dark sky, almost black themselves. It was like a painting he would love to hang up in his apartment. 

Opening the car door wasn’t too much of a problem. Others – probably Ferdinand and Linhardt – had packed for him but he had remembered to bring his tool set. Moving around was a little harder, he was taller than Felix after all. When he finally reached the ignition, he had already lost precious time manoeuvring around. 

There were anti-theft measurements installed. High-end, as far as he could tell. How would a mountain guide have access to those? He frowned, scratching his neck. Just who was this man? 

“I see now why they warned me.” 

He flinched, hitting his head on the car roof and letting out a string of curses. Felix merely seemed amused. “Who warned you?” 

“Your boss, mostly. I must say, I expected this to happen a lot sooner.” 

“I was waiting for the right opportunity.” Hubert crossed his arms, trying to look as dignified as possible. “Impressive security.” 

“Thank you.” Felix showed the barest hint of a smile. “I put a lot of work in it.” 

“I can see. Why do you even have a silent alarm?” he asked, knowing exactly what the device in Felix’s hand was. 

“I like keeping my car.” 

“And the other measures?” 

“I _really_ like keeping my car. And knowing exactly where it is.” 

Hubert sighed. He should’ve known there would be GPS-tracking as well. “Fine, you win. I’ll stay a little longer. You better make it exciting.” 

At this, Felix actually laughed. “I will, don’t worry. Let’s head back then, you need proper sleep before I drag you there.” 

~ 

Whatever he had expected, it wasn’t this. The sky was as clear as it had been since his arrival, only a few fluffy white clouds visible on the horizon where they mingled with distant mountain ranges and all the colours swirled into one. 

The path they took this day was narrow and often overgrown, sometimes only marked through red and white stripes painted on rocks. It was a lot harder than their previous excursions but after his failed car theft yesterday, Hubert enjoyed having another challenge. 

Felix had picked him up before breakfast, carrying provisions for the road and a lot more in his backpack. Hubert had offered to take up a bit of the weight but Felix had scoffed, saying he was used to hiking with a lot of extra baggage. After the first few hours, Hubert was starting to believe him. He was doing just fine but still worse than Felix. 

By the time the sun had fully risen over the nearby peaks, they had left the last trees behind. There was no one else around if Hubert walked just a little slower to admire the rugged landscape, who cared? 

Up here, only few plants could survive and cover the ground, squeeze between rocks and stones and move in the wind. When he looked up, he saw fields of snow, the white contrasting with the grey below and the blue above. It was simple and yet intricate and while Hubert found his thoughts drifting back to work on occasion, he also forgot about papers and signatures soon enough when he spotted the next landmark. 

“Finally convinced?” 

“Partly.” 

It was midday, they sat on a large rock and shared the food Felix had brought along. Some animal made a noise in the distance but he wasn’t able to recognize it. He had to admit, Felix was doing a great job of convincing him that being out in nature wasn’t too bad. Still, if anything happened to Edelgard because he was hundreds of kilometres away, he would go on a killing spree. 

“Relax, your boss is fine,” Felix said as if reading his thoughts. “Do you ever think about yourself?” 

“Not willingly.” 

“Wow.” There was a deep sigh, then Felix stood up and stretched. Sometimes – like right now, when an attractive man was stretching in front of him – he wished he could be more selfish. If he had ever learned how to, he had forgotten it. “Alright, let’s go. I’m not sure I like those clouds; we better get going if we wanna get back before nightfall.” 

The clouds looked harmless to him but he wasn’t the expert here. Hubert decided to follow Felix up a ridge and along a winding path. There was a lot more grass here, littered with small ponds and a few bushes. To their right, the world seemed to fall into nothingness before the mountains started rising again. It was probably just a ledge, he spotted a small house there, with wires leading down as if to support cable car. Did people live up here? Nothing about the building looked suitable for humans but maybe they used it to get their supplies up and down the mountain. 

“If you linger, we won’t make it.” 

Hubert snapped out of his thoughts to find Felix staring at him. He gave a court nod and started moving again. The clouds, as it turned out, were not harmless. They moved faster than he had expected, bringing rain, more wind and chilling temperatures. Hubert shivered as he pulled his hood up, feeling the droplets on his face like pin pricks. The curses that came from Felix in several different languages did not brighten his mood. 

“How bad is it?” he asked as they made it around a corner, already stepping in puddles of mud. He took one look back to where they had come from but knew the way was long and it was hard to see much with the heavy rain and rising fog. Or sinking clouds? Whatever it was, it made sure he was barely able to see where the edge was and where he could still walk. 

“Getting worse.” Felix grabbed his arm to steer him out of the way of a few rocks. “We need to find shelter.” 

“How long until we can reach the car?” 

“Too long. About four hours in ideal conditions.” 

“Which these aren’t.” 

Felix nodded, a few strands of his hair already soaked because his hood didn’t cover them all. “We have no choice but to walk on. There’s a hut about twenty minutes from here. If it clears by the time we get there, we can keep going.” 

It did not clear. If anything, it got worse, rain turning to snow and ice, wind tearing at their clothes and visibility getting so low Hubert didn’t even flinch when Felix took his hand. Skin on skin wasn’t familiar but it was grounding and eased his fear of getting lost. Twenty minutes had never felt so long. 

Felix pushed the door open and waved him inside, hiding how he shivered. Hubert was trained to notice these things, so of course he did, shooting his guide a worried glance. 

“It’s fine,” Felix mumbled after closing and barring the door. Water dripped from their clothes, forming puddled on the wooden floor. “Take those off, I’ll find new things.” 

“How do you know where everything is?” 

“I don’t.” Felix himself undressed quickly, dropping his jacket, boots and jeans to the floor before vanishing into the back area of the small hut. There wasn’t much, the door led directly into a kitchen and living room space, with an ancient looking oven and a simple couch. There were shelves with books and food and his stomach reminded him of the sparse meals he had had today. 

By the time his own clothes were off, Felix was returning with towels and blankets. “Some huts like this one stay unlocked during the winter months for shelter.” 

“Are they not afraid of thieves?” He accepted the towel and started drying himself off, already feeling better. 

“We’re a few hours away from any settlement. Who the hell would hike all the way to steal some canned food?” 

“Fair point.” 

“They don’t have clothes, though,” Felix explained before taking off his pullover and shirt as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Hubert felt very selfish as he stared before the other man’s muscles – and scars – were wrapped in a blanket. “Take off anything that’s wet, we’ll have to hang it to let it dry. We’re not high enough to need every layer we can get.” 

There was a certain bitterness in his voice, a hint of anger and sadness as if he was reminded of something. Interesting. Hubert didn’t bother watching too much for the moment, focussing on drying again. Even if they weren’t at the severest hypothermia risk here, he didn’t want to get a cold and be stopped from working yet again. 

Warmth crept through the room not too much later and Hubert, down to his briefs and wrapped in his own blanket, looked up to see Felix close the oven door. How had he managed to find enough wood and light a fire so fast? 

Deciding that those questions could wait, Hubert got closer to the oven and sat down, taking a few deep breaths. The wind still howled outside but they were fine now and wouldn’t be here for too long. Or so he hoped. 

They were quiet for a while, letting the heat sink in. He heard uneven breaths, though, and when he glanced over, Felix looked a lot like Edelgard did whenever she was hiding a panic attack. Not focused on anything, nervously wringing his hands and tapping his foot against something. Talking probably wouldn’t help, a distraction might. He sighed. 

“Is there any food we can make?”, he asked, pleased to see that Felix’ head snapped up and his eyes focused on the room again. 

“Sure.” Felix didn’t exactly snap at him but was close, the words spat out like he was terribly unhappy about something. Hubert decided to let it go, a fight wouldn’t help them and as long as Felix got out of the state he had been in, it was fine. 

“Need any help?” It was vague enough, he hoped. Felix had helped him – perhaps more than either of them realized or recognized yet – and Hubert wouldn’t leave him hanging. 

“See if you find any booze.” 

He raised an eyebrow. Normally, he wouldn’t encourage drinking in such a situation. However – it might help them relax if it wasn’t too much. Hubert nodded, made sure the blanket was still in place and got up. He risked a glance towards the kitchen part of the room and wasn’t entirely surprised to see a lot of skin. Felix had somehow draped the blanket around his hips but that left a lot for Hubert to watch. 

Quickly, he turned to the cupboards and cabinets lining the back wall, shifting through the contents. A few flyers, old maps and an impressive amount of more or less shiny rocks Caspar would have loved to own were the first things he found. Finally, in a bottom drawer next to some photographs, he discovered a few bottles of fruit schnaps. Hand made by the looks of them. He picked one – with pear, if he correctly deciphered the handwriting – and made his way back to the fireplace, quickly grabbing two glasses as he spotted them in another cupboard. 

“Don’t expect something fancy,” Felix said, calmer now that he was busy. So his idea had worked, Hubert was pleased. “It’s just canned ravioli.” 

“It will do, I suppose. We have alcohol to go with it.” 

“Heh.” Felix had his head turned but Hubert saw the hint of a smile. He smelled the schnaps before pouring each of them a glass. Strong, probably not too delicious. But that wasn’t the point here. 

~ 

“I hate being trapped here,” Felix admitted some time after their meal. He hadn’t had enough to be drunk but perhaps enough to loosen up a bit. Hubert himself was drinking slowly, still nursing his second shot. With the way Felix stared at his hands and how he had reacted earlier, it wasn’t hard to draw a conclusion. 

“You’ve been in a situation like this before.” 

“A few times.” There was a moment of hesitation, a whispered “whatever” and then Felix downed the alcohol in his glass and started talking. “I tended to get ignore warnings and camp out but it was usually harmless. A few bruises, a broken bone or two. My brother always found me.” 

Brother. He hadn’t mentioned him yet so Hubert guessed there was no happy end to this tale. Wordlessly, he offered Felix the bottle and motioned for him to continue. 

“We travelled a lot. Always looking for new challenges and we thought we were invincible. What a fucking joke.” Felix let out an empty laugh and raised his hand, the one with the missing fingers. “We were in the Himalayans a few years ago. The weather suddenly changed when we were on the way down. I … I honestly don’t remember much of that night. We were sharing a small tent, me and my brother. Trying to keep warm. Trying to get back down the next day but it started snowing again and we got separated.” 

He was quiet as Felix took another drink, not wanting to push him. Losing loved ones was never easy, talking about it even less so. 

“I was alone when I reached people who could help me. Lost a few fingers and toes. We never found his body.” 

Hubert waited for a few more seconds but apparently, that was all Felix wanted to say on the matter. It was enough – he might learn more later. Realizing what he was thinking, he stopped himself. They were business partners and in this situation, they might be friends. But that would over soon, he had no intention to learn more about Felix. Right? 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be whiny.” 

“You weren’t,” he quickly assured him. “I grew up in Edelgard’s household and while I technically wasn’t part of the family, I was often treated as such. When her brother died, it hit me harder than I thought it would.” 

“It sucks.” 

Hubert nodded. “Yet what can we do but live on?” 

“Exactly.” Felix’ smile was a little more honest again. “People always pity me and I hate it.” 

“It’s like they don’t take you seriously.” 

“Of course they don’t. That would mean thinking for a moment.” 

He laughed, honest and open. Hubert had not expected Felix to make jokes like that but it also felt right and he enjoyed it. Part of him felt guilty about that but wasn’t the goal of this holiday to enjoy himself? Nobody had specified how exactly that was supposed to happen. They didn’t talk about dead siblings anymore but they talked, more than they had these past days. Maybe, Hubert thought, it would be worth it to stay in contact after this holiday. 

~ 

When he flew home days later, he felt better than he had in years. Ready to see his friends again, ready to work again. He was also ready to take occasional breaks and call Felix. He had not expected their relationship to develop this quickly – from their conversation in the hut to a few intimate moments to a hasty kiss at the airport in just a few days was probably a record for him – but he couldn’t say that he minded. 

Stepping out of the plane to retrieve his baggage, he wondered what to tell his friends. They had yet to put a name to what was between them but he sure Dorothea would nag him for details and Ferdinand would already start planning a flowerful wedding. The thought sent a cold shiver down his spine. Maybe he should keep to himself, just for a while. Let them think they hadn’t succeeded in getting him to relax. They deserved it. 

With a hidden smile, he walked towards the company car Edelgard had waiting for him. This lighter side of him was one he usually kept hidden and one he was slowly willing to explore again. Getting to know Felix was a step into the right direction.

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on twitter: @narina_vhey


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